Reconstructive Urology Fellowship

Dr. Zhina Sadeghi

Dr. Zhina Sadeghi is an Assistant Professor of Neurourology and Reconstructive Urology at the University of California, Irvine. She completed fellowship training in neurourology, pelvic medicine, and reconstructive urologic surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sadeghi’s expertise encompasses a wide range of functional and reconstructive urological conditions, including urinary storage and voiding dysfunctions (such as overactive bladder and urinary incontinence), urethral and bladder neck pathologies, urinary care for cancer survivors (e.g., radiation cystitis), neurogenic bladder, urinary diversions and stomas, urinary tract fistulas, and ureteral obstructions and strictures. She performs both outpatient and complex inpatient surgeries using a variety of approaches, including vaginal, abdominal, endoscopic, open, and laparoscopic robotic techniques.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Sadeghi has been actively engaged in urology research since 2005, focusing on understanding the underlying mechanisms of urological dysfunction and applying innovative treatments. She has authored numerous publications in both translational and clinical research, with a particular focus on lower urinary tract dysfunction and pioneering reconstructive techniques. She received an NIH T32 training grant in 2013 and was awarded the prestigious American Urological Association (AUA) Research Scholar Award in 2024, as well as the UCI Dean’s Office Physician-Scientist Research Scholar Award. She is an elected member of Neurogenic Bladder Research Group (NBRG), and SUFU basic science Committee. Dr. Sadeghi also holds the Endowed Chair of Tim and Jill Harmon in Reconstructive Urology at UC Irvine. Currently, she is leading multiple translational research projects, particularly focused on neurogenic bladder and urinary incontinence.

She continues to push the boundaries of knowledge in her field, striving to bring new therapeutic options to patients with complex urological conditions, and is eager to advance the training of the next generation of reconstructive urologists.

Dr. Tony Khoury

Dr. Khoury is the chief of pediatric urology and, with more than 25 years of experience, leads the CHOC Children’s Urology Center. He is a professor of urology at University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the Walter R. Schmid Endowed Chair in pediatric urology at UCI. Dr. Khoury completed his residency training at the University of Toronto and did his fellowship training in pediatric urology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, under Dr. B. Churchill. Dr. Khoury has also spent time at the University of Calgary carrying out research in infection and biomaterials. His work there resulted in several publications and a patent award on the bioelectric mechanism to eliminate bacterial biofilms. He then joined the faculty of the division of urology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and was the division head from 1995-2008 before coming to CHOC Children’s.

Dr. Khoury has been published in more than 200 publications and journals, and 33 book chapters. He has given more than 250 presentations at national and international meetings and has delivered over 160 lectures as a visiting professor or invited speaker at both international and national levels.

Dr. Khoury is on the board of several national/international specialty committees including the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology and the International Children’s Continence Society. He was also president of the Society of Pediatric Urologists of Canada and immediate past chairman of the Scientific Council of the Canadian Urological Association’s Scholarship Foundation. When Dr. Khoury is not at work, he enjoys working on his golf game and traveling with his wife, Shahira, to see his children. Dr. Khoury is fluent in French and Arabic.

Dr. Joshua Mauney

Dr. Joshua Mauney is a tenured Associate Professor in the Departments of Urology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. He holds the Jerry D. Choate Presidential Endowed Chair in Urology Tissue Engineering. He received his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and Ph.D. in Biotechnology Engineering from Tufts University. Dr. Mauney comes to UCI from Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital where he led a translational research group for 12 years as faculty. At UCI, Dr. Mauney’s laboratory focuses on the development and evaluation of silk fibroin grafts for the repair of visceral hollow organs including the bladder, urethra and the esophagus. He also specializes in the creation of novel large animal models of urinary tract disease for preclinical medical device testing. Dr. Mauney also performs mechanistic studies to determine key signaling pathways involved in tissue regeneration and disease progression within the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts. Dr. Mauney has been continuously funded from the National Institutes of Health since 2011 and has been the Principal Investigator on various R01 and R21 awards. Dr. Mauney has also authored >50 international peer-reviewed journal publications. Dr. Mauney’s contributions to education at UCI includes teaching core graduate courses within the Biomedical Engineering Department including BME240: Introduction to Clinical Medicine and BME210: Molecular and Cellular Engineering as well as training clinician-scientists in surgical research.